Science News

Researchers 'see' how to capture carbon dioxide

29.10.2010, Age: 2973 days

Researchers at the University of Calgary and University of Ottawa have provided deeper insights to CO2 capture by "seeing" the exact sites where CO2 is held in a capture material. Their discovery, published in Science, will allow scientists to design better materials to capture more CO2.

"We have pinpointed where the CO2 molecule is held by direct experimental visualization (X-ray crystallography) and, through computer modeling, we can see how every 'finger' contributes to holding the CO2 in place," says co-author Dr. George Shimizu, a chemistry professor in the Faculty of Science at the University of Calgary

This research may be used for a variety of applications. "We could ultimately see this process helping to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions on the top of coal burning flue stacks or it could be used to help remove CO2 from unconventional natural gas reservoirs," says Dr. Ramanathan Vaidhyanathan, the paper's first author and research associate at the University of Calgary.